Mandeep S. Chhabra is a Maryland trial attorney and the managing member of Cochran & Chhabra Law Group in Annapolis. His career in the law began at age 19—years before he entered law school. More than three decades later, he routinely represents clients in Maryland courtrooms in criminal defense, DUI and DWI, serious traffic, and plaintiff’s personal injury cases.
Trial work is not an occasional part of Mandeep’s practice. It is a regular one.
He has spent more than 25 years as a Maryland attorney trying contested cases before judges and juries in District and Circuit Courts. His courtroom experience includes DUI and DWI charges, serious traffic offenses, assault, theft, domestic-related cases and other criminal matters, as well as civil litigation involving people injured through the negligence of others.
His philosophy is straightforward: prepare every case as though it may have to be tried.
That preparation matters even when a case ultimately resolves without a trial. Understanding the evidence, knowing the witnesses, identifying weaknesses in the opposing case and being prepared to present the case in court can change the options available to a client long before anyone delivers an opening statement.
A Trial Lawyer From the Beginning
Mandeep did not first encounter the practice of law after graduating from law school. He essentially grew into it.
He began working in the legal field when he was 19 years old. In 1994, years before becoming an attorney, he joined the Annapolis practice of respected trial lawyer Gill Cochran as a law clerk. By the time Mandeep entered law school, he had already spent years around lawyers, clients, litigation and real cases.
After earning his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law and being admitted to the Maryland Bar in 2000, Mandeep remained with the firm as an attorney. He later became Gill’s partner and ultimately assumed leadership of the practice.
Gill impressed upon him an approach that continues to shape the firm today: prepare the case as if it is going to trial.
Mandeep learned trial advocacy in law school and through formal training, but he also learned it the way trial lawyers ultimately have to learn it—by preparing cases, examining witnesses, cross-examining witnesses, making arguments, studying judges and juries, learning from outcomes and returning to court to do it again.
Over decades of practice, he has developed his own courtroom style: thorough preparation, careful attention to the evidence and credibility with judges, juries, prosecutors, opposing attorneys and clients.
He does not believe being the loudest lawyer in the courtroom makes someone the most effective lawyer in the courtroom. Knowing when to push, when to listen, when to challenge a witness and when a seemingly small piece of evidence matters can be far more important.
Criminal Defense Trial Attorney
Mandeep represents people accused of crimes throughout Maryland.
His criminal defense practice includes assault, domestic-related charges, theft and shoplifting, serious traffic offenses and other misdemeanor and felony cases where the consequences can extend well beyond the courtroom.
A criminal case may affect a person’s freedom, career, professional license, security clearance, immigration status, family and reputation. Mandeep believes that responsibility requires more than simply reading the police report and appearing in court.
Modern criminal cases can involve body-worn camera footage, surveillance video, photographs, text messages, social media, medical records, electronic data and multiple witness accounts. He works through that evidence carefully and compares what witnesses say later with what they said—or failed to say—when the incident occurred.
Some cases turn on constitutional or evidentiary issues. Others turn almost entirely on credibility.
The goal is to determine what the evidence actually proves and then develop a clear defense theory that can be presented effectively to a judge or jury.
Not every case requires the same approach. Some cases call for an aggressive trial defense. Others may be better served by negotiation, treatment, rehabilitation or mitigation. Mandeep’s responsibility is to explain those options candidly and help the client make an informed decision based upon the law, the evidence and the potential consequences.
Maryland DUI and DWI Defense
DUI and DWI defense has been a significant part of Mandeep’s trial practice for decades.
He has completed extensive training in standardized field sobriety testing based upon National Highway Traffic Safety Administration protocols, including 40-hour SFST training. That background allows him to evaluate roadside testing not simply from what an officer writes in a report, but from how the tests were instructed, demonstrated, administered and interpreted.
Today’s Maryland DUI and DWI cases frequently involve much more evidence than a traditional police report. A case may include hours of body-worn camera and dash-camera footage, standardized field sobriety tests, breath testing, blood testing, toxicology results, prescription medication issues, Drug Recognition Evaluations and separate proceedings involving the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.
Mandeep routinely examines those pieces together.
Does the video actually support the officer’s written observations? Were the roadside tests administered properly? Does the client’s physical appearance on camera match the characterization in the report? What does the toxicology evidence establish—and what does it not establish? Are statements being considered in their proper context?
That detailed review can uncover issues that are easy to miss when a case is evaluated only from the written police report.
Mandeep represents clients in both the criminal case and the related driver’s-license consequences that can accompany a Maryland DUI or DWI charge.
Personal Injury Litigation
Mandeep also represents people injured because of the negligence of others.
His plaintiff’s personal injury practice includes automobile collisions, premises liability and other serious injury matters.
His experience trying cases is particularly valuable when an insurance company disputes liability, medical causation or the value of an injured person’s losses. He approaches personal injury cases with the same philosophy that guides his criminal practice: understand the evidence, prepare the witnesses, document the damages and build the case so that it can be presented effectively at trial if a fair resolution cannot be reached.
A strong settlement position begins with the ability to try the case.
Preparation, Psychology and Understanding People
Before attending law school, Mandeep studied psychology at Boston University.
That education continues to influence the way he practices law.
Trials are about evidence and law, but they are also about people. Witnesses perceive events differently. Memory can change. People react differently under stress. Judges and jurors evaluate not only what someone says, but how that testimony fits with the other evidence.
Mandeep believes understanding those human dynamics is particularly important in cases that depend on witness credibility.
It also shapes his relationship with clients.
Most clients do not meet a criminal defense or personal injury attorney because everything in their life is going well. They are often frightened, angry, injured, embarrassed or uncertain about what comes next.
Mandeep believes they deserve straightforward advice rather than false promises. That means explaining both the strengths and weaknesses of a case, discussing realistic options and preparing the client for what actually happens in court.
Teaching Trial Advocacy and Serving Maryland’s Legal Community
Mandeep’s experience as a trial lawyer has led to roles beyond his own practice.
He has served as a guest lecturer in trial advocacy at the University of Baltimore School of Law, working with future lawyers on the practical skills involved in presenting a case in the courtroom.
He currently serves on the Anne Arundel County Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission, which evaluates candidates for appointment to Maryland’s District and Circuit Courts.
He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender and on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys’ Association.
These roles have allowed him to contribute to Maryland’s legal system from several perspectives—as a practicing trial attorney, an advocate for the accused, a teacher and a participant in the process used to evaluate future members of Maryland’s judiciary.
Deep Roots in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County
Mandeep’s connection to the community he serves extends well beyond his law office.
He grew up in the Annapolis area and graduated from Archbishop Spalding High School before leaving Maryland to attend Boston University. He returned to Maryland for law school and ultimately built his career in the same community where he was raised.
His professional life has been centered in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County for more than three decades.
Today, Mandeep also serves on the Board of Directors of Archbishop Spalding High School, returning in a leadership role to the school he attended as a young man.
For Mandeep, practicing law in Maryland is personal. This is the community where he grew up, where his legal career began, where he has spent decades appearing in court and where he and his family have made their home.
Outside the office and courtroom, Mandeep is a husband and father who enjoys spending time with his family, boating on the Chesapeake Bay, cycling and staying active.
Those experiences reinforce something he has learned repeatedly during his career: a case may be one of many matters a lawyer handles during a year, but for the client, it may be one of the most consequential events of his or her life.
He tries never to lose sight of that distinction.
Professional Recognition
Mandeep has been selected to Maryland Super Lawyers from 2014 through 2026, after being selected to Maryland Rising Stars in 2012 and 2013. He was also selected to the Top 100 Maryland Super Lawyers list in 2020.
He has received an AV Preeminent® peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest peer-rating designation.
In 2026, The Daily Record selected Mandeep as one of its Managing Partners honorees, recognizing leaders in Maryland’s legal and financial communities for professional achievement, leadership and community involvement.
Mandeep is also a member of the National College for DUI Defense and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Recognitions are conferred by the organizations named, under their own selection standards. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars selections are based on peer nominations, peer evaluations and independent research by Super Lawyers. AV® and AV Preeminent® are certification marks used under license in accordance with Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Education
- University of Maryland School of Law
- Juris Doctor, 2000
- Boston University
- Bachelor of Arts, Psychology
- Archbishop Spalding High School
- Severn, Maryland
Professional and Community Involvement
- Anne Arundel County Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission
- Board of Trustees, Maryland Office of the Public Defender
- Board of Directors, Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys’ Association
- Board of Directors, Archbishop Spalding High School
- Guest Lecturer in Trial Advocacy, University of Baltimore School of Law
- National College for DUI Defense
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Anne Arundel County Bar Association
- Maryland State Bar Association
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- American Association for Justice
Languages
Mandeep speaks English, Punjabi and Hindi and is proficient in Spanish.